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Coco Gauff elaborated on her post-match message about TikTok following her fourth-round victory over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open. The American addressed the ban on the social media platform in the USA and mentioned a potential benefit it could bring about for her.
On Sunday, January 19, Gauff advanced to the quarterfinal of the 2025 Australian Open after pulling off a comeback win against Bencic. The 20-year-old lost her first set in the 2025 season after winning 16 consecutive sets as she trailed the Swiss 5-7 after the first set. However, the World No. 3 won the next two sets to register a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory.
After the match, Gauff touched upon the TikTok ban in the USA and wrote on the camera lens:
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“RIP TikTok USA”
During her post-match press conference, she was asked to elaborate on her message.
"Yeah, it was funny, a couple of people didn't know what it meant. But yeah, for people who don't know, it's not—you can't access it in the US anymore. So, my phone—I could not access it after my match," Coco Gauff said.
She initially thought she could bypass the restriction while in Australia but realized it might be linked to her phone number, leaving her unsure and needing to investigate further.
"But yeah, hopefully, it comes back. I don't know, it's really sad. I've been on the app since it was called Musical.ly. So, yeah, I love TikTok. I don't know, it's like an escape. I honestly do that before matches. So, I guess it'll force me to read books more, and yeah, be more a productive human probably. So maybe it's a blessing in disguise; everything happens for a reason. But I do have a feeling that it somehow will come back," Gauff added.
Coco Gauff explains the thought process behind writing on the camera lens after Australian Open wins
Coco Gauff has written messages on the camera lens after each of her four victories at the Australian Open. She has shared thoughts on the LA fires, the importance of digging deep for match wins, and most recently, her views on the TikTok ban.
During the aforementioned press conference, Gauff explained that her approach to writing messages is a mix of planning and spontaneity. However, on some occasions, like when she wrote about the shovel, it was more spontaneous.
"But I always know an idea, maybe, of what I would want to write, but I don't know how I'm going to execute it. And I do get stage fright where I suddenly forget how to write things. So yeah, I definitely almost forgot how to draw a heart today. And then the first day, I definitely forgot what a shovel looked like," Gauff said.
In the quarterfinal of the 2025 Australian Open, the World No. 3 is pegged against a resurgent Paula Badosa. This is the Spaniard's first quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open. They are tied 3-3 in their head-to-head and will battle in the quarterfinal to take the lead.
